Post date: Apr 13, 2013 3:47:28 PM
Dozens of police officers patrol London's Trafalgar Square ahead of an expected gathering of students, anti-capitalists and ex-miners who plan to demonstrate against the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (APRIL 13, 2013) (REUTERS) - There was a heavy police presence in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday (April 13) ahead of a planned demonstration against the legacy of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died aged 87 on Monday (April 8).
Students, anti-capitalists and former miners are expected to converge on the square - the site of a major riot against a tax introduced by Thatcher's governmentin 1990 - from early evening.Loathed and loved in her lifetime, Thatcher remains a divisive figure even in death.
Her ceremonial funeral with military honours will begin on Wednesday (April 17) with a procession through London to a service at St Paul's Cathedral.
In a break with protocol, the Queen and her husband Prince Philip are expected to attend.
"You know, I did not like Margaret Thatcher. I loathed her in fact but I respect her family. But to have this ridiculous amount of regalia, particularly this military carriage going down representing the woman that divided my country. It really upsets me to see this happening in London," said Steven Lockwood, who said he was in Trafalgar Square to observe the protest.
Further controversy has been added by the success of the the Wizard of Oz song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" that was sent flying up the UK charts by a campaign to celebrate the former prime minister's death.
Britain's public broadcaster, the BBC, has come under fire for agreeing to play a clip of the song on its weekly radio chart show despite calls for it to be banned.
Meanwhile others have accused the broadcaster of caving in for not playing the track in full.
"I don't think you should ban any kind of song at all really. I think everyone should have free speech. However, I think there's a question of taste and the fact that I don't think that you should have a song like that played to celebrate the death of an elderly lady no matter how divisive it was," said passer-by Paul Berditt.
The BBC has banned other songs in the past, including the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" which was released in 1977 at the time of the Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee.
"I think it's outrageous, you know, in this day and age, that a so called democratic society... and what they've done is that they're basically quelling the wishes of the people, you know? It's a record for God's sake. It's ridiculous really I think," said another man, Mike Guilfoyle.
Divisions remain so deep that plans for next Wednesday's funeral have become a security headache with hundreds of police and soldiers expected to guard against protesters seeking to disrupt the event.
Parties in several cities to celebrate her death ended in arrests, and media reported that police may pre-emptively arrest known troublemakers before they travel to her funeral, as part of a security operation codenamed "Operation True Blue".